New Deal
by Stephensmat
Summary: Skylar really thought that she had changed. DaleSkylar Spoilers for episodes 1.01 to 1.03.


Skylar set down the case on the shelf. "And that, is the last of it."

Dale came over and checked. The shelves were indeed filling up again. "I think we're gonna be okay."

"We're doing well."

Dale looked at his shoes, glanced at her shoes, looked back. Skylar waited. She knew him well enough. He wanted to say something, and was trying to work up the nerve.

Sure enough. "It's been good... having you to help. I... did I ever thank you?"

Skylar turned to face him fully, took him by the chin and made him face her. "No."

Dale lifted a hand very slowly, rested it on her shoulder. He was suddenly not breathing.

Neither was she. Dale leaned forward slowly. Skylar brought her hands up to rest on his hips, and he kissed her.

For a moment, it was light, hesitant. Skylar closed her eyes and leaned into it.

Dale finally got the idea into his head that she okay with this and pulled her closer.

And Skylar opened her eyes and saw Lucy and Karen had just walked into the store, watching the last moment in shock.

Watching Dale kiss her.

The reaction was instinctive. It wasn't considered, it was ingrained, it was instantly regretted, it was over in an instant. She brought her hands up to his shoulders and shoved him hard into the shelves behind him. "Get the hell off me _freak_!" She snapped in a tone she hadn't used with him since the day the bomb went off.

Awful silence.

Heartless cackles from the entrance.

Dale, past surprised and well into horrified and humiliated looked from Skylar, to her old friends in the doorway, back to her, and did the only thing he could.

He ran for it.

Skylar took a step after him before she could stop herself, but too slow.

"Keep running Romeo!" Karen cat-called down the street after him.

Lucy was staring at Skylar. "The freak still has the keys to this place though right?"

Skylar gave Lucy a slightly grateful look. She understood, and was giving Skylar a cover for Karen's benefit. She bolted for the door, made it to the street, Dale was gone. She took a guess where he was going and turned left, started to run, felt the ice under her boots, felt her feet go out from under her.

Mercifully, she didn't feel her skull hit the pavement.

Her vision faded before the pain reached her.

* * *

"SKYLAR!" Lisa screeched "You have to come to the shelter."

"I'm not going to some stupid shelter, I'm going to wait for my parents to get home." Skylar told her firmly. Her parents would come home, and everything would be okay. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dale drift closer, listening in.

Lisa apparently disagreed. "Don't be crazy!"

"I'm not crazy, I'm going home!"

Dale turned, no longer pretending disinterest. He was staring at Skylar with his mouth hanging open.

Gracie had apparently noticed this fact. "Excuse me ladies, are you going to pay for that?"  
Skylar looked down at the can of soda she was holding. She glanced over at the huge box of food that Dale was packing. "What are you talking about, everybody's taking stuff!"

Gracie was unmovable. "This is still my store"

Skylar could feel Dale staring at her in shock. "Alright, you know what, fine, keep it." _I hate you too lady!_

Lisa was getting in Gracie's face. "Her parents are in New York okay, who knows if they are even gonna be back?"

_Lisa please don't say that! _Skylar sobbed silently. She turned away before that thought would have been apparent on her face.

Turned away from Gracie and toward Dale.

* * *

Skylar drifted between asleep and awake for a long time. her head was pounding hard enough to keep her from wanting to wake up further.

_'She hated me.' _The thought came, feeling sick to her stomach._ 'Dale, you owed her better than me.'_

* * *

Skylar was staring out the window as clouds got closer. Were they always so dark?

A knock on the door, Skylar was out of the chair and moving, almost before she registered the sound. _Mom!_

But it wasn't her parents. It was Dale, holding a box of supplies.

She wasted no time explaining the realities of the situation to him. "You are not at my house. Get off my property right now, and my property goes right down that hill as well!"

He was equally direct. "You need to get back to town, the radiation's coming!"

"I'm not leaving here, my parents are on their way back!" She held to that. She had to hold to that.

"You talked to them?"

"No freak! The phones are dead. But I'm not leaving here without them."

Dale sighed. "Alright. Stay inside. Tape up the windows. And don't use the water."

"Ugh! Don't tell me what to do."

"I'm serious Skylar. Stay inside." He shoved the box into her hands and turned to leave.

She looked at the supplies. The cans of soda were there too.

The thought came to her. _He won't make it to the mine_. "Dale! Dale stop!" She shouted after him. "Please. Stay here. It's not safe out there. Please stay here."

Dale didn't need any prompting; he came straight in and started taping up her windows. She just watched.

"Don't think this makes us friends dork." Skylar told him.

Dale turned disdainfully. "I can do better, friend."

Skylar twitched and said nothing. She turned and stormed into the next room, shut the hallway door. The way the slam echoed chilled her. When had this house gotten so big?

The light from outside was gone, eaten by the thunderstorm.

"Dad... are out outside right now?" Skylar whispered. She went back to the other room.

Dale put down the tape and turned to face her, the rain was heavy against the glass.

Skylar didn't look at him. "I think my mom died yesterday."

"I think my mom died yesterday too."

Sympathetic beat. She went into the kitchen and brought out the soda cans. She gave him one.

A lot quieter, and a lot more uncertain, Skylar looked again. "Don't think this makes us friends dor-Dale."

Now that the ice was broken, the day went on. Skylar had always liked the ran. But through the plastic Dale had taped up, she could see the rain leaving dark streaks of black dust against the glass.

'Children of the dust..." Skylar noted distantly.

Dale was scanning the room. "The windows and vents are sealed. The rain's heavy enough that the fallout will be gone by the time the storm breaks. Gracie said that the weather report was for rain all night. We'll be okay till morning."

"Did the others..."

"I don't know Skylar." Dale told her with no particular anger. "I wasn't there when they sealed the mine."

Skylar ducked her head, embarrassed. "I'm pretty stupid huh?"

"Naw." Dale told her. "It takes a while to realize that everything changed. Old habits and all that."

Long silence. The rain pelted down.

Dale sighed. "All we need is a deck of cards."

Skylar brightened. "Cards I've got!"

"Yeah?"

"If you've got the nerve."

"The nerve." Dale repeated, as if this was the silliest thing he'd ever heard. "Listen carefully _Miss_ Stevens, I come from the wrong side of the tracks. I live in a trailer park, I'm one of those people your mother warned you about and yet I've apparently got more common sense that you do. I'm the guy who wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and if you're very good, maybe I'll teach you how to lose at poker."

She wasn't offended. "Oh really? Well you listen carefully to me, _Mister _Turner, I'm the girl who got the best end of every deal ever handed to her. I'm the one here who doesn't think that a three figure sum is a month's pay, and I'm female, so i can read your mind."

"You cannot."

"I can. We all can. You're a guy. Dogs are more mysterious. I'm the one who was born with a silver spoon, and I'm the one providing the cards, and if you ask very nicely I'll show you how these things can come together in games of chance."

Dale took the cola off her, shook it very hard for several seconds, then handed it back, unopened. "Deal the cards."

* * *

Skylar eyes opened and gasped for air. "Dale?"

"Skylar, honey, don't try to move. It's April, you're in the Med centre. You have a mild concussion, and you've been drifting in and out."

She heard the words, but didn't understand them, not quite there. She couldn't see him in the dark. "Dale...why'd you come back when the rain started?"

* * *

Long silence. A bright light shone in her eyes. It washed everything out, and she was drifting again.

Skylar had to admit, he wasn't bad company. She knew that if she was ever seen with him, especially in her home, the girls would never let her live it down. She didn't worry too much though, because everyone who mattered that way was safely buried on the other side of town, and she was free to gaze cunningly over her cards at him. Two sixes. Nope, he had her beaten. Time to cheat. "So what happens if I have three queens, but I only have two jacks?"

It worked. He threw his cards down. "I'm out."

Skylar whooped. "I so bluffed you!"

Dale laughed. He seemed surprised as she did. She'd heard about the tape, and it was the first he'd laughed since the rain...

The thought stopped her dead.

The rain had stopped.

The front door opened. "Hey Skylar?! You still alive?"

Lisa came in, closely followed by Shawn and Karen and a few others, catching her neatly playing cards with... with Dale.

Lisa was horrified. "Oh my g-"

Skylar was on her feet, and as far away from Dale as she could get. "It's not what it looks like."

"It sure looks what it looks like."

Dale was slipping out unobtrusively. Skylar, feeling guilty at the way she reacted, went after him.

Lisa stopped her. "Skylar, wait. This guys a weirdo."

* * *

Skylar drifted back. Why hadn't she noticed the rain had stopped? Because the windows were covered in plastic. That plastic wrap had saved her life.

Dale had put it there.

Voices. This time Skylar could recognize them. Lisa and Dale.

"Dale, seriously, why DID you go back for her? Gracie was climbing the walls in that mine shaft, and she knew exactly where you were. Why did you do it?"

"Who else was going to?"

Skylar let out a strangled choke. "Yeah."

Dale immediately rushed over. "Hey."

"I was so awful to you." Skylar slurred.

"Don't try to talk Skylar." Lisa told her. "I'll get April."

Dale watched her leave, then leaned closer to Skylar.

"You aren't starving anymore. No fallout any more. If you want to get your groupies back too, you'd have to get rid of me. I can stay at the store. I've done it before. I own it now."

Silence.

"Skylar?"

She was asleep again.

* * *

Not everything had changed. Her life hadn't changed that much. She held onto that.

_Okay_. She told herself after he had gone. "It's still my house, there's no school, my parents aren't here, and the house is mine. What do I do?" She grinned. The answer was obvious. "Have a party!"

And that's exactly what she did. The music was playing loud and everybody was enjoying themselves. She grinned defiantly at the black dust on her windowsill. "Not the end of _my_ world."

"Sky! Look who invited himself." It was Lisa's voice, smug and needling.

She spun and found Dale there, carrying a case of food. She gestured at the table. "Just...put it over there." She said, dismissing him in an instant. Everyone was watching.

"Why are you such a jerk when you're with your friends?" Dale asked her. She was about to answer him when she noticed Lisa was watching with great interest. Skylar sent her a look.

"Oh I'm sorry," Lisa apologized. "Did I interrupt a lover's spat?"

She looked hard at Dale. She felt bad about it, but she couldn't do this here. "Just...go home."

And Dale did.

* * *

Skylar opened her eyes. Her expression was clear again, everything was in focus again. She was in the recovery bay of the med-centre four other empty beds surrounded her. Dale was sitting next to her. "Hey."

He opened his eyes and looked. "Hey. Are you feeling better?"

"Much." She sighed. "Listen, about yesterday…"

"Don't worry about it. We need to focus on you now. Don't try to move too fast. I'm getting April. In fact, don't move at all. We don't want you getting hurt again. Not even in the hospital. In fact, don't ever get hurt at all. It's too easy to do. In fact, don't ever leave this room; I'll bring you your things here."

He was babbling. Skylar calmly reached out, took his hand and twisted his thumb hard. He stopped talking in a hurry.

Skylar sat up. "I'm sorry."

"I forgive you."

Skylar gestured for him to come close. He did so.

She started to lean in…

Lisa came in.

This time Dale jumped back. Skylar was horrified. _Not again! Dale I swear I didn't mean for you to do that!_

She wouldn't let go of his hand, but he pointedly took it off him and stepped away from the bed. "I'll step out, let you two talk." He nodded to Lisa as he passed. "Yell if you need anything."

"We will." Lisa promised. Once he was gone, she sat down in his chair. "Everything okay?"

"I have been trying since he moved in, to even get him to smile again." Skylar whispered brokenly. "And the second someone else walks into the room…"

"Gracie saw this coming you know." Lisa mentioned. "You being nice till somebody was watching, then…"

"I saw you today, and I remembered how things were before…"

"Yeah."

"Lisa, I think there is a chance, that I may have profoundly, and irreversibly screwed this up."

"Profoundly yes, irreversibly no. He didn't leave your side all night y'know."

"Really?"

"He didn't eat, he didn't sleep, he didn't talk, he had this panicked look of guilt and worry…"

"Well, that's how he always is." She rubbed her eyes. "Tell him I'm hungry, but make sure he brings enough for a full meal."

"I can get it."

"No, I don't wanna eat, but if he brings it in, then I can tell him he brought too much and get him to eat at least half of it-what's so funny?"

Lisa was laughing under her breath. "You are. You two are like an old married couple."

"We are not."

"Are you living together?"

Yes."

"Are you working together?"

"Yes."

"Are you having sex?"

"No."

"Trust me girl: You're married."

Skylar pulled the blanket over her head and moaned. "Does everyone think that?"

"They did yesterday, but I think you managed to convince them all that he was just a freak trying to score."

Skylar groaned again miserably. "Profoundly, and irreversibly screwed up."

"It's not an easy thing to change the way you think. I asked you why you liked him, I think I get it now."

"Oh?"

"You remember the day after the fallout? We went to Gracie's for a phone charger."

"Yeah."

"I was gossiping with you, about Hollywood stars, and time was, you'd be gossiping with me. But you were worried about your family, so you couldn't care less. I can't care less anymore either. Dale got there first. Wish to hell I had. Maybe my older brother wouldn't be sleeping in my room now."

"No!" Skylar yelped in shock.

"Can't heat the whole house. Have to seal up some rooms."

Long silence.

"I'm alive." Skylar whispered. "By all rights I shouldn't be, but I am."

"I got the same feeling." Lisa nodded. "We all have regrets there. You know why Dale came back for when we all went to the mines?"

"Because nobody else would."

"Because only he could." Lisa told her. "You were gonna die, unless he acted. His family went to Atlanta without him, he walked away from Gracie for one night, he left you alone yesterday for thirty seconds, and every time he does that, somebody gets hurt. He came for you that day, because you were the only one he could help."

"I saw you today, and for a second it was a year ago again. Everything that happened in between just vanished, and I…"

Lisa looked uncomfortable. She sighed. "Speaking of that, did I ever apologize for cutting you loose after that party?"

"No."

"I'm sorry."

Long silence.

Lisa gave her old friend a hug. "I'll send the ball-and-chain in."

Several minutes passed, when Dale came in, carrying a tray of food.

She tried to smile at him. "Are you mad?"

"No."

"I really thought I'd changed." Skylar said finally.

"You have." He looked at her. "After all, I'm living with you now." Dale stood. "Eat, then get some rest."

"Stay and eat with me."

Dale didn't argue.

For a while they ate slowly.

Finally, Skylar pushed away her plate, and pointed to her jacket, hanging on the back of Dale's chair. "Now. In the inside pocket of my jacket, you'll find the last packet of 'M and M's' I've got." She scanned the room from the memory of when she had her appendix out, and gestured at the cabinet near the door. "And in there, you'll find a deck of cards."

Dale grinned and collected them. "Should warn you, I've gotten real good at a stoic expression."

"Should warn you, it never works on me." She grinned back. "Deal the cards"

#Authors note#  
As I say, I've only seen as far as Black Jack in Australia, so I have no idea what's canon for these two.

Consequently, all the ficlets and drabbles I'm putting in, are timeline-neutral. It's not uncommon for the show to skip several weeks, and to leave out huge patches of these particular characters.


End file.
